1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to stringed musical instruments. More particularly, the invention relates to a stringed musical instrument that is easily convertible between fretted and fretless playing configurations.
2. Description of Related Art
Stringed musical instruments, such as guitars and bass guitars, come in several different varieties. A first variety of stringed musical instruments generally comprises a body affixed to a first end of an elongated neck, a fingerboard disposed on the top portion of the elongated neck, and a headstock with tuning pegs and tuning knobs affixed to a second end of the neck, which is opposite to the first end thereof. A plurality of strings are disposed above the upper surface of the fingerboard, and are fixedly attached to the body at one end and adjustably attached to the tuning pegs of the headstock at the other end. The tuning pegs enable the tension of the strings to be adjusted, which in turn, alters the pitch of the strings. Each of the plurality of strings is stretched between a bridge positioned on the body and a nut positioned at the distal end of the neck near the headstock. A second variety of stringed musical instruments, like the first variety, includes a body affixed to an elongated neck, a fingerboard disposed on the top portion of the elongated neck, and strings disposed above the upper surface of the fingerboard. However, unlike the first variety of stringed musical instruments, the second variety does not include a headstock with tuning pegs and thus, is commonly referred to as having a headless neck. A headless bass is one such example of this second variety of stringed musical instruments. On a stringed musical instrument with a headless neck, the tuning mechanisms are typically located as a part of the bridge or behind a bridge.
In order to play a stringed musical instrument, a musician strums or plucks the strings with one hand while varying the useful or active length of the string with the other hand by pressing the strings against the fingerboard at selected positions along the length thereof. The variation in the useful or active length of the strings results in a consequential variation in the pitch of the string.
Stringed musical instruments can be generally categorized as fretted instruments and unfretted instruments. As the names suggest, a fretted instrument is an instrument that contains frets disposed along the length of its fingerboard, whereas an unfretted instrument is an instrument that has no frets on its fingerboard.
When playing a fretted instrument, a musician uses his or her fingers to press a string of the instrument against the fingerboard behind a selected fret on a side of the fret that is opposite to the body, so that the string contacts the fret and its useful vibrating length is reduced to the distance between the fret and the bridge. By selecting the correct fret, the musician is able to more easily achieve an acceptable level of intonation because the positions for the correct notes are defined by the placement of the frets. Thus, a fretted stringed musical instrument is able to produce a discrete series of notes and a sharp, clearly defined pitch. Due to these characteristics, fretted instruments are much easier for playing chords.
When playing a fretless instrument, a musician uses his or her fingers to press a string of the instrument against the fretless fingerboard so that the useful vibrating length of the string is reduced to the distance between the point where the musician's fingertip presses the string against the fingerboard and the bridge. Instruments without frets tend to produce a softer sound with a broader range of selectable pitches because, unlike fretted instruments, the selectable vibrating lengths of the strings are not limited by the predetermined positions of the frets disposed along the length of a fingerboard. Consequently, fretless instruments enable musicians to produce sounds that not available from fretted instruments.
The modern playing styles of some musicians, as well as the requirements of certain musical compositions, has created a need for the ability to easily play both fretted and fretless instruments within the context of a single song. While a musician can always purchase both fretted and fretless instruments, and alternate between these two instruments while playing a song that requires the use of both, utilizing separate instruments creates various problems. First, it is expensive to purchase separate fretted and fretless instruments. Secondly, it is inconvenient for the musician to transport both types of instruments to the location of his or her performance. Third, during some musical compositions, the musician simply does not have enough time to switch between separate fretted and fretless instruments. Thus, a stringed musical instrument that is easily and quickly convertible between fretted and fretless playing configurations is necessary to overcome these abovementioned problems.
While others have designed different ways to incorporate fretted and fretless modes of operation in the same instrument, the related art devices have numerous limitations and drawbacks. For example, some of these convertible musical instruments utilize gearing mechanisms having a large number of individual components to adjust the position of the frets. Not only are gearing mechanisms subject to substantial wear over time, they also add complexity to the adjustment device and lead to increased manufacturing costs. Other convertible stringed musical instruments of the related art employ interchangeable fingerboards, one being provided with frets, and the other being provided without frets. The use of interchangeable fingerboards is particularly problematic when the instrument must be converted during a single song. After all, it is very difficult, and sometimes impossible, for a musician to swap one fingerboard for another without substantially disrupting the performance of the musical composition. Still other convertible musical instruments taught by the related art utilize an arrangement of components that significantly interferes with the ergonomics of the instrument, thereby making it more difficult to play. While other convertible musical instruments of the related art use intricately formed components with complex geometries that are both difficult and expensive to manufacture and/or utilize a component design that impedes serviceability of the instrument.
Thus, there is a great need for a stringed musical instrument that is easily and quickly convertible between fretted and fretless playing configurations, is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, is easy to disassemble and repair, and has good ergonomics.